2019.04.24

A new case study of the High Line has been published to the Landscape Architecture Foundation's Landscape Performance Series! Our recently published case study with LAF, Friends of the High Line, and Urban Design Lab goes in-depth on all of the impacts the High Line has had on its environment and the surrounding city.

Read more about the High Line's landscape performance benefits in the case study here.

Domino Park offers a wide range of active and passive uses and is part of the larger transformation of the former Domino Sugar Factory site into an ambitious mixed-use development project by Two Trees Management. Domino Park reconnects Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood to this portion of the East River waterfront for the first time in 160 years.

2019.01.29

Hong Kong’s historic and newly redesigned Avenue of Stars has officially opened, just in time for Lunar New Year celebrations!

As part of our larger work with New World Development on the Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront in the heart of Hong Kong, the new Avenue of Stars restores public access to this incredible waterfront, creates a more comfortable environment with plentiful seating and shade elements, and is a significant part of the new Victoria Dockside Arts & Design District open space network.

2019.04.05

Columbia's Phase 1 for the new 17-acre Manhattanville Campus received a 2019 ULI New York award, recognized in the Institutional Development category. Field Operations is the Open Space Master Planner and designing the public squares for the campus, one with a sustainable urban design that will unfold over decades.

2019.02.27

As part of a new "softer" approach to the stadium on the city's waterfront, the team has revealed new plans for the Oakland A's. The occupiable green "ring" roof is modified from the previous diamond-shaped plan and opens up views of the adjacent waterfront.

The full team includes BIG, Gensler San Francisco, Atelier Ten, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Catellus, Fehr and Peers, and BKF. Construction is anticipated to start in 2021.

2018.02.25

We're excited to share that the Cornell Tech Campus Framework Plan and Phase 1 is a finalist for Excellence in Institutional Development for the 2019 ULI New York Awards.

Field Operations developed the open space master plan as part of SOM's master plan team and led the subsequent Phase 1 open space design through completion for open spaces that weave the buildings into a unique and vibrant community on this urban campus. The ongoing campus plan reflects a fundamental rethinking of education that stimulates innovation and fosters creativity.

2019.02.08

Senior Principal Lisa Switkin, as part of the jury for the Architectural League's Emerging Voices 2019, announced the winners of the annual award that spotlights North American individuals and firms with distinct design voices. The selection process for the two-stage jury included past Emerging Voices winners across North America who reviewed work from approximately 45 firms, naming eight emerging practices as this year's winners.

Read more about the award, this year's emerging practices, and their upcoming lectures here.

2019.02.04

Field Operations joins SHoP Architects, Gensler's Houston office, and James Carpenter Design Associates on the design team for transformation of a historic Art Deco building on Main Street into the Ion Building, a new innovation hub in Houston, Texas.

2019.02.02

Senior Principal Richard Kennedy joined Alex Steffen from KQED with Annalee Newitz, journalist and novelist, and Liz Ogbu, designer, urbanist and Principal of Studio O to discuss resilient cities as part of San Francisco Public Library's Night of Ideas festival. The group took a look at bold actions cities can take, and asked: How can we design cities for a changing climate?

Learn more about the Night of Ideas here and listen to a recording of the KQED forum here.

2019.01.31

We are excited to share that we have been selected by Hudson River Park Trust to create a transformative design that captures Gansevoort Peninsula's immense potential on the Hudson River.

Soon to become a 5.5-acre public park, this site will further energize and define the southern portion of Hudson River Park and connect people to art, culture, history, water and nature. Stay tuned for upcoming public meetings and workshops as we start designing for this incredible site.

2019.01.31

NBC featured a tree that fell in the Presidio—with two sections weighing in at over 40 thousand pounds that will be turned into picnic tables, chairs, and benches for the Presidio's Tunnel Tops, a new 14-acre park designed by Field Operations. The Presidio Trust set a goal of constructing half the new buildings and furniture from park trees that have fallen over or were cleared away.

2019.01.23

In leading the master plan for the full 4,500-acre park in Memphis, we identified the major challenges that threatened the the park’s long-term viability and its role as a driver of the region’s economic and environmental health. Subsequent phases have opened since 2010, with the 195-acre Heart of the Park opening in 2017.

The Heart of the Park—with award-winning buildings by Marlon Blackwell Architects—embodies the master plan's strategy to create one connected, unified park through focused infrastructure upgrades; to improve the region's ecology and biodiversity through attention to the park's habitat and vegetation; and to provide a rich diversity of activities for visitors to enjoy, embracing Memphis' vibrant culture and food scene.

2019.01.16

Construction is underway in Seattle! As the viaduct begins to come down, the new waterfront is beginning to take shape, from the north end—driving new steel piles for a rebuilt Pier 62 for events—to the south end, with a beach that leads to a salmon habitat corridor.

The comprehensive framework plan and urban design for the Central Waterfront puts the City of Seattle in position to reclaim its waterfront, reconnect to Elliott Bay and recenter the downtown around it, and shape a new public realm.

2019.01.09

Field Operations' first urban furniture piece—the Perisphere—is now available with Santa & Cole.

Re-interpreting the 1939 World's Fair bench by Robert Moses and Kenneth Lynch, the seating surface captures the uniqueness of the original design while maximizing its functionality, ergonomic appeal and durability. Perisphere is a modular system that can be suited for the private or relaxation needs of a private garden or used continually along busy boulevards and in parks.

2018.12.13

In the December 2018 issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine, the 10 teams in the San Francisco Bay Area selected to participate in the Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge are recognized for their work in the "yearlong collaborative design challenge bringing together local residents, public officials, and local, national, and international experts to develop innovative, community-based solutions that will strengthen our region's resilience to sea-level rise, severe storms, flooding and earthquakes."

The article recognizes an unexpected outcome within the process that emerged by designing new physical devices, events or spaces that engage the public in the design process, likened to Soviet agitprop methods. This not only brought them into the design process, but also informed them on methods of climate change adaptation.

2018.12.05

"Cleveland's Public Square was designed with free speech in mind. So far, it's working."

Erick Trickey writes an article for Experience Magazine that explores the relationship between the renovated park, designed by Field Operations, and events that instigate protest, public speeches, and huge crowds.

2018.11.28

The Oakland A's have unveiled their plans for a new stadium on the city's waterfront, which we are excited to be developing with BIG. Our work includes both Howard Terminal, with a publicly accessible rooftop park and sweeping views of the waterfront, and the mixed-use Coliseum district, with a tech hub, affordable housing, a youth sports complex, and more.

The full team includes BIG, Gensler San Francisco, Atelier Ten, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Catellus, Fehr and Peers, and BKF.

2018.11.14

As part of the Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design, awarded to the High Line in 2017, the GSD hosted two days of events. Beginning November 14 with a reception in the Druker Design Gallery, they hosted a celebration for the opening of the exhibition, followed by a panel discussion the next day—entitled The High Line: A Debate—exploring the enduring impact of the High Line.

2018.10.26

The Underline breaks ground for the first half-mile of the project off Southwest First Avenue in the Brickell area, the beginning of a 10-mile signature linear park, urban trail and living art destination in Miami.

The framework plan by Field Operations outlines the key strategies that guide the design that will be well connected to transit and a gateway to the adjacent communities.

2018.10.24

As part of the mixed-use waterfront development at Pier 70 that will feature new affordable housing, waterfront parks, space for artists and local manufacturing, and rehabilitated historic buildings, an existing 153-ton building structure was moved.

After the groundbreaking in May, this serves as an important step in creating this new waterfront park designed by Field Operations, Grimshaw Architects, Sitelab Urban Studio, David Baker Architects, BKF, Moffat Nichol, and AECOM.

2018.10.11

Construction is almost complete on the first 62 acres of Phase 1 for Taopu Central Park, which will be one of the largest green open spaces in Shanghai's central urban area, bringing new vision and natural landscapes to a post-industrial site.

When complete, it will feature a sculpted landscape of rolling terrain and many pedestrian bridges. These will set up a dynamic garden water system that weaves through the park and creates strong connections that extend outward to the surrounding district and city, connecting with a downtown public greenbelt.

2018.09.06

James Corner will be leading a jury for the 2018 Young Bird Plan for the Suzhou Dayang Mountain Slow Traffic System Conceptual Design Competition, a competition that invites global designers to creatively utilize the local resources and build upon the site's potential with a slow traffic system. The call for entries is open now until the registration deadline on September 30.

2018.10.08

Navy Yards Central Green in Philadelphia is in good company in a series of 28 case studies featured within Staging Urban Landscapes: The Activation and Curation of Flexible Public Spaces, a book that takes a look at public spaces that are promoting community building.

James Corner also wrote the afterword on design, curation and identity for public spaces.

The book by B. Cannon Ivers was published in October 2018 with Birkhäuser. Learn more about the book and purchase it here.

2018.09.10

Boston's Seaport was featured in Urban Land Magazine, taking a look at the master planning that led to this new neighborhood full of potential in Boston. WS Development provides insight into the focus on the public realm in the Seaport with Field Operations, the master plan landscape architect behind the new "public green oasis amidst one of Boston's densest neighborhoods."

2018.06.28

Field Operations is transforming Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront and public realm for New World Development. The $2.6 billion, 3 million-square-foot mixed-use development project known as Victoria Dockside boasts a shopping complex, office skyscraper and hotel on the tip of the Kowloon Peninsula overlooking Victoria Harbor. Field Operations' waterfront promenade, Salisbury Gardens and Avenue of the Stars strengthen pedestrian connections and significantly contribute to the creation of this new destination arts and design district.

2018.06.18

Field Operations' 5-acre Domino Park officially opened on June 10 along the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, providing public access to this stretch of the waterfront for the first time in more than 160 years. The park offers a range of activities, including beach volleyball, a dog run, playing fields, bocce courts, a playground, Tacocino (a new Danny Meyer taco stand and picnic area), an interactive water feature, fog bridge and passive lawns and gardens. One of the main park features is the ‘Artifact Walk’ which integrates over 30 large-scale salvaged artifacts—components of the inner workings of sugar refining—including an elevated walk supported by 21 columns from the Raw Sugar Warehouse in their original location, 80-ft tall gantry cranes, mooring bollards, screw conveyors, bucket conveyors, a hoist bridge, and four syrup tanks.

The park has already become a magnet, embraced by the community. See more with #DominoPark.

2018.05.17

The Field Operations Team's proposal for Resilient by Design's Bay Area Challenge, the "South Bay Sponge" was unveiled on May 17. The "Sponge" is a concept for using nature and natural systems as a primary tool for climate adaptation and resiliency in the South Bay, inspired by both the historic function of the region's inter-tidal marshlands as flood protection, as well as by the remarkable efforts to restore the South Bay Salt Ponds.

Field Operations Selected for Princeton Lake Campus Master Plan

2018.02.22

The Harvard Graduate School of Design announces that the 13th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design has been awarded to the High Line in New York. The High Line has been hailed as a model of urban regeneration and of collaboration across fields and perspectives. In summarizing the deliberation process, the Green Prize jury noted that a great urban-design project is one where multiple actors spanning public and private domains are involved in and committed to lasting urban change.

2017.11.17

Shelby Farms Park: Elevating a City, a new 272-page book launched by the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is out! At 4,500 acres, Shelby Farms Park in Memphis, Tennessee, is the largest urban park in the United States—more than five times the size of New York's Central Park. The book describes the history and journey of Shelby Farms Park through a combination of compelling stories and stunning photography. The book’s chapters are written by nationally known park experts and Shelby Farms Park Leaders. Together, their narrative informs, inspires and reflects the imagination of park lovers, park builders, public officials, grassroots leaders, and placemakers.

Cornell Tech Campus Opens!

2017.09.11

The Field Operations Team has been selected as one of ten teams to participate in Resilient by Design's Bay Area Challenge, which aims to harness innovation for resiliency projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.